CNET Update: Facebook, Twitter seek out social shopping

CNET Update: Facebook, Twitter seek out social shopping

2:53 /
July 18, 2014

Social-media commerce ramps up as Facebook tests a Buy button and Twitter acquires CardSpring. Meanwhile, Amazon debuts a Netflix-like service for e-books called Kindle Unlimited.

Get ready to go shopping on social media.
I'm Bridget Carey, and this is your CNet update.
Facebook is testing out a way for you to go shopping while scrolling through your news feed.
Some advertisements will have a buy button and with a click, you can purchase the item in the ad.
The whole transaction, your credit card info, shipping address, everything, it's all handled inside Facebook.
The network says it won't share your credit card into with other advertisers.
You may not see the buy button all the time.
It's just a test right now offered to some small and medium sized businesses in the US.
This is not the first time Facebook has dabbled in online shopping.
Remember when you could by actual physical gifts like Teddy bears and chocolates and mail it to your friends?
That wasn't very successful.
So Facebook gifts now are just digital gift cards, and there were Facebook credits, a currency just for spending money on Facebook but that has been discontinued.
Twitter also is starting to get into the social shopping game.
Last year it launched a partnership with American Express so cardholders could get discounts by tweeting special hashtags.
Amazon started letting you shop on Twitter.
If someone tweets out a link to an Amazon product, you can reply with a #AmazonCart to add that item to your shopping cart.
Starbucks even let you tweet a cup of coffee.
Well a tweet just actually sends someone a five dollar gift card.
And as silly as it may sound, Twitter is just getting warmed up.
The network required Card Spring.
That's the company that links up credit cards with applications for mobile shopping.
So as social media companies try to become Amazon.
Amazon is trying to take on Oyster.
Amazon has officially the Kindle Unlimited Service, where for $10 a month, you can get unlimited access to 600,000 ebooks.
And thousands of Audible audio books and you can get them from any mobile device.
It's kind of like a Netflix for books and that's exactly what the company, Oyster, offers.
Oyster is also a $10.00 a month for unlimited book service.
The company, Scribd, also offers all you can read for $9 a month.
But what matters most is quality of content because not every bestseller will be found on these services because not all publishers.
To work with them.
Just like the early days of Netflix, it takes times to get quality titles.
Now I should know that this kindle unlimited service is different from what prime members have.
Which is Kindle lending library.
That just gives prime members one free book at a time on their Kindle.
But you know, there is another service out there that can give you free eBook rentals.
It's called the public library.
That's your tech news update.
You can get more details on these stories on Cnet.com, and you can stay updated by subscribing to the podcast or following me on twitter.
From our studios in New York, I'm Bridget Carey.